Congress Working Committee meet to seek amendment to remove 50% cap on reservation

Congress demands Constitutional amendment to remove 50% cap on reservations, praises Rahul Gandhi for pushing Modi government on caste census.

The Congress on Thursday (May 1, 2025) demanded that the Narendra Modi government should bring in a Constitutional amendment to remove the 50% cap on reservations, even as it targeted the Prime Minister for being “the master of giving headlines without deadline”.

A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has also been convened on Friday (May 2, 2025) to discuss the roadmap of the party’s social justice agenda after the announcement of a caste census. Apart from charting the future course of action, the party is likely to thank the leadership including Rahul Gandhi for “forcing the Modi government to announce caste census”.

The CWC, that had met on April 24 in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, is also expected to urge the government for strong action against Pakistan and according “martyr” status to the victims of the terror attack.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who addressed public meetings in Karnataka’s Hubballi and Bengaluru on social justice, claimed that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have always opposed caste census.

“Since beginning, they [BJP-RSS] have been against reservation. They don’t have any right to talk that they have done it. We, all Opposition parties, pressurised and Rahul Gandhi took the lead in caste census. We have achieved and we are happy,” Mr. Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.

Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office, Congress general secretary communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said questions arise about the U-turn made by the Modi government on the issue.

Mr. Ramesh pointed out that exactly a year ago, the Prime Minister had said that “those demanding the caste census in the country display urban-Naxals mindset”.